Categorized as: Health Tips

So, as I’ve already heard from so many of my clients about their personal fears regarding the holiday season and gaining extra pounds or undoing the progress they’ve worked so dang hard for, I’ve decided to give a few tips or concepts on the matter.

Firstly, let’s talk about mindset we approach the holidays with. Most of us fall to one side of a coin; either a sense of horror as mentioned above that we might somehow undo our progress and therefore spin out of control into a violent tailspin of negative weight gain and thusly, self loathing and shame…OR we don’t give a crap and “we’ll take this seriously right after things settle down from the holiday madness…besides…how unreasonable would it be to try to stick to healthy eating at this time of year? pshh…no, thank you.”

My first notion to keep in mind is that what you eat on the holiday itself is far less important to worry about than what you eat the rest of the year. That’s not a license to eat everything on the table, of course. The point is that if you’re eating clean, like we should be during the year, with our warranted cheat meals and such, the holiday feeding simply isn’t an issue. So, don’t panic. I would recommend treating this holiday as any other weekend cheat meals and plan precisely what you truly feel you don’t get to eat very often and that you’re willing to take in the calories for. For many of my clients, I allow them 2, maybe 3 cheat meals per week assuming they’ve done their prescribed cardio and made all of their sessions that week. So, this would be no different for them, or me for that matter. Thanksgiving day will include a single cheat meal for me since I won’t be traveling but to one place, but for those of you who are venturing two or more places, plan two cheat meals and really focus on portion control and not overstuffing yourself. Read More

If I were to award a single food item with the title of ‘Fastest Way To Pack On The Pounds’, hands down the winner would be refined sugar.

We have been eating more and more sugar over the past 200 years, which has led to rising obesity numbers. Back in 1822 the average person ate only 6.3 lbs of sugar per year, compared to 130 lbs of sugar in 2012. That’s more than 20 times as much sugar in our modern diet! No wonder we are bigger than ever…

One of the reasons that your diet is filled with so much sugar is that some form of refined sugar is included in virtually every single processed food. This is yet another reason that it’s important to cut those processed and packaged convenience foods out of your diet.

Let’s face it, the extra pounds you’re carrying around are due to overeating – plain and simple.

Why do you overeat? Here are a few likely reasons:

Habit: Whether you realize it or not, you eat in a learned pattern, rather than out of need. You clean your plate because that’s what your mother taught. You eat what is served without stopping to check if you are full. You butter two pieces of toast for breakfast rather than questioning if one piece would do the job.

Absentminded: You forget to pay attention when you eat. Mindless munching while watching a movie, snacking while driving, or picking at food while cooking – these absentminded calories really add up.

Something Deeper: Sometimes you use food for recreation or to change your mood. These calories may lend you a temporary sense of comfort or pleasure, but ultimately your body suffers from the indulgence.

Here are 3 Steps To Overcome Overeating – read these, and apply them to your life.